Te Tira Whakamātaki Maori Biosecurity Network

Te Tira Whakamātaki (TTW), the Māori Biosecurity Network is a network of Māori scientists (plant pathologists, soil chemists, biosecurity officers, indigenous sociologists), policy makers, politicians, kaitiaki, iwi leaders and whānau who are dedicated to ensuring Māori have a voice and are able to participate in NZ's biosecurity system, and whom provide technical biosecurity support and advocacy to whānau, hapū and iwi.

TTW aim is to protect our taonga for future generations. The project will explore how Māori knowledge, interests and values can be embedded in New Zealand’s biosecurity system.

New Zealand’s growing international trade and tourism, and our changing climate are all likely to increase the risks of new pests or diseases establishing here.

Māori are the largest landowners in New Zealand and their efforts and involvement are vital for building a sustainable future for New Zealand’s agriculture and economy.

While biosecurity incursions are a threat to New Zealand agribusiness, they also threaten culturally significant native species and the ecosystems they support. Kauri are being killed by a fungus-like disease thought to have been introduced from overseas, and mānuka, kānuka and pōhutukawa are all at risk from myrtle rust fungus, which has been devastating forests in Australia.

Te Tira Whakamātaki (TTW) – the Māori Biosecurity Network – was established in 2015 to help understand how Māori knowledge, interests and values can be embedded in New Zealand’s biosecurity system. The Network was initially funded by a Vision Mātauranga grant from the Ministry for Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) with co-funding from the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge and support from the Bio-Protection Research Centre.

Lincoln University lecturer Dr Amanda Black (Tūhoe, Whakatōhea) was awarded seed funding for Te Turi Whakamātaki from Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM), a Centre of Research Excellence hosted at the University of Auckland.

As kaitiaki, Māori are and have been for a very long time acutely aware of the interactions between the various plant and insect systems. We now need to understand how changes in our climate and trade will affect these systems and our role as protectors.